Kerala flood relief donations cross Rs 713.9 crore in 14 days

BusinessToday.In
August 28, 2018

As Kerala comes to terms with worst ever floods in nearly a century, the contribution to chief minister's distress relief fund (CMDRF) has clocked Rs 713.92 crore in just a fortnight. This figure is way more than Rs 600 crore initial aid offered by the central government so far.

According to a report in The Times of India, as many as 3.91 lakh persons have so far contributed to CMDRF since August 14. The humanitarian aid received by the state's CMDRF has surpassed all other relief funds.

Donations to CMDRF on Monday alone accounted at Rs 5.6 crore. Of the Rs 713.92 crore, Rs 132.62 crore was received through banks and UPIs linked with CMDRF gateway. The CMDRF's account with State Bank of India got Rs 518.24 crore as deposits, the report said.

Rs 43 crore came through Paytm as well as online contributions such as wallets/apps. The chief minister's office has received cash, checks and drafts worth Rs 20 crore to the relief fund, it added.

Tech giant Google and its employees have contributed over Rs 7.01 crore ($1 million) to help flood relief efforts in Kerala and Karnataka.

With the state struggling to get back on its feet in the wake of the massive damage caused by floods, the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Malayalees across the world to pitch in with a month's salary.

His appeal on Facebook added that "Malayalees should be united to build a new Kerala. Kerala's strength is not its treasury but the support of the world". For those who can't afford to donate a full month's salary at a go, Vijayan suggested donating three days' salary for a period of 10 months instead.

In a statement released last Friday, Vijayan had said that as per initial estimates the total damage in the state stood around Rs 20,000 crore.